Searching for the Past
by The Create Card
Summary: Yugi Moto returns from Duelist Kingdom, but Yami Bakura loses the Millennium Eye! What happens when it's discovered in Egypt...by Sakura Avalon's father? Yugi sets out for Reedington in hopes of retrieving the eye...while Yami hopes to uncover his past!
1. Return From Duelist Kingdom

Summary: The adventure at Duelist Kingdom just ended and Yugi and his friends are on their way home. But on their way, something valuable gets lost and is never recovered…until one day when it turns up in Reedington. From there, a new adventure begins with Yami Yugi seeking more clues to his mysterious past…and Yami Bakura continuing his sinister quest for the Millennium Items. And along the way, the Star Card Mistress and her friends will get pulled right in the middle.

  


Key:

_~// **…** //~_ - Yami Bakura

  


**Searching For The Past: Part 1**

  


The battles were over. The King of Games had been determined. Holding the prized Ties of Friendship card designed by Maximillion Pegasus, fourteen-year-old Yugi Moto looked out the helicopter as he finally left the island of Duelist Kingdom. Having defeated Pegasus in a duel, it looked like little Yugi couldn't wait to get home. He looked so eager to get back to his grandpa in Domino City, who must have been coming to after having his soul restored. In fact, Yugi went so far as to hitch a ride with his rival, Seto Kaiba.

But for a certain stealer of souls, who had gone by many names in the past, this endeavor to Duelist Kingdom signified a much greater victory. Although it seemed like he was foiled after losing to the spirit of Yugi's Millennium Puzzle in a Shadow Game, the soulstealer remained within his host body, the boy known as Bakura Ryou. And he took a big step towards his ultimate goal by seizing Pegasus's Millennium Eye.

Sitting by the window of the helicopter, Yami Bakura couldn't help but revel in his victory. He took the Millennium Eye out of his pocket and stared at it, keeping it out of anybody else's view. This was his first step in collecting all of the Millennium Items and once he had them, he would take over the world.

_~// Cherish your victory now, Yugi Moto. Because when you least expect it, you shall share the same fate as Pegasus. And your Millennium Puzzle WILL be mine! //~_

What he didn't notice was that Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor, two of Yugi's friends who were sitting next to him on this flight, were starting to horse around.

"1, 2, 3, 4, I declare a thumb war!"

Joey and Tristan were throwing their arms around everywhere in their struggle to thumb wrestle.

"Hey, cut it out!" Téa Gardner growled. "You almost hit me!"

Yami Bakura wasn't paying attention as Joey and Tristan continued their inane battle. Of course, they couldn't keep their limbs still and kept them moving around. And it continued…until…Joey Wheeler elbowed the soulstealer's hand…knocking the Millennium Eye out of his hand.

_~// NO! THE EYE! //~_

Yami Bakura extended his hand quickly, but wasn't fast enough. The Millennium Eye fell to the floor…and out a small vent. The Millennium Item that he had worked so hard to steal from Pegasus was falling out of the helicopter and down to Earth.

"Oops, 'scuse me, Bakura."

Yami Bakura couldn't believe it. "FOOL!" Then he regained him composure. He didn't want to expose his identity to Yugi and his friends. "Joey…be more careful!"

"Eh, relax. It's not like you had anything in your hand…HEY!"

"1, 2…"

"Not so fast, Tristan! You can't beat my THAT easily!"

_~// The Millennium Eye! GONE! And all because of these two…NINNIES! Once I take over the world, I'll have them scrubbing the foulest lavatories! They'll pay for their idiocy! //~_

"Everything ok, Bakura?" Yugi asked.

Yami Bakura shrugged off his anger and put his façade back on. "Oh, I'm just fine, Yugi. Can't wait to get home."

"We should be reaching Domino City in a matter of minutes," Seto Kaiba said.

Yami Bakura couldn't believe his rotten luck. After going through all that trouble to get the Millennium Eye, it was now lost in who-knows-where. But he vowed he wouldn't rest until he found what was rightfully his.

He made sure to look back at Yugi and his Millennium Puzzle one last time. He chuckled to himself, knowing he had plans for Yugi Moto and his Millennium Puzzle.

* * *

**THREE MONTHS LATER**

The sun was shining down and the heat was unbearable. That wasn't a surprise, considering where ten-year-old Sakura Avalon was. She was in the middle of the Egyptian deserts. Although it did get her out of school for a while, she didn't want to find herself on another archaeological dig with her father. It wasn't that it she didn't like being on a dig with her father, but after the events of a few months before, the thought of being back around the Egyptian pyramids gave her the creeps, which is why she decided to stay behind in the tent while her father and older brother, Tori, were out digging.

Luckily, she wasn't alone in the tent. Her best friend, Madison Taylor, was right by her side, as she always was. And, of course, Sakura had another friend at her side. She had her faithful guardian beast, Kero, with her…although he was still in his stuffed animal form.

"Feels creepy being out here again, doesn't it?" Madison muttered, echoing Sakura's thoughts.

Sakura didn't want to remember what happened. She recalled being stuck inside an ancient pyramid and being chased by a mummy. It was all so terrifying, especially since she was shorthanded. She didn't have all of her cards with her. But although the Star Cards weren't on her side, she still managed to escape safely. The only thing that still troubled her was the fact that there were so many loose ends. Frankly, she didn't even want to think about it.

Kero raised his head from Sakura's pocket. "There's still something unsettling about this place. I'd feel better if we just left. If I ever see an Egyptian pyramid again, it'll be too soon."

"Still thinking about what happened?" Sakura asked.

"It's more than that," Kero replied. "It's the whole concept of ancient Egyptian magic. It wasn't something that Clow Reed was familiar with. And if he wasn't familiar with it, I wasn't familiar with it. It's a total mystery to me. All I know is…I sense some dark magic around us."

"I've honestly had all I can take of dark magic," Sakura grumbled. "If I have to deal with anything weird or creepy again, then I'll gladly go back to school."

"I don't know what you two are nervous about," Madison smiled. "We're safe in this tent. What could possibly reach us in here?"

Suddenly, a group of men came into the tent, creating a commotion. Something was up. Sakura stood up and tried to find her dad and Tori among the crowd. But they weren't anywhere to be found.

Aiden Avalon and Tori came in last. Sakura's dad was holding something carefully in the palm of his hand.

"Tori, find a place for me to put this. This could be extremely fragile."

Sakura's curiosity was starting to get the better of her. She walked through the archaeologists and reached over to tug on her father's sleeve.

"Dad? What did you find?"

Sakura's father stepped over and showed Sakura what he had found. It was a golden relic that was in surprisingly good condition. It had an ellipsoidal shape with circular and elliptical rings in the front. The shape looked familiar.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

Tori took the item in his hand and put it by his eye. "Looks like an ancient eyeball to me."

"Tori, give me that!" Aiden chided. "It has to be studied before we can draw such a conclusion."

Sakura peered over at the artifact. "It's pretty. Even if it DOES turn out to be just an ancient eyeball. I wish I had something like that."

"What do you need with an ancient eyeball?" Tori smirked. "You'd probably stick it in your stuffed animal or something."

Sakura responded to that crack by shooting her brother a death glare. They were the very definition of bickering siblings.

"I think we can safely call this expedition a success," Aiden Avalon said proudly. "We can go home. Tori, come on outside with me. Sakura, start packing up."

Sakura's father and brother walked out, along with the rest of the archaeologists. That only left Sakura alone with Madison and Kero.

"How about that?" Sakura grinned. "We get to go home. That should make you happy, right Kero? Kero?"

Sakura looked down and saw that Kero had a blank look on his face. She started shaking her pocket frantically.

"Kero! What's wrong?"

Kero shook off the cobwebs. "There's…something about that thing your dad and Tori found. I…sense something about it."

"What do you mean, Kero?" Madison asked curiously.

"I sense…dark magic. There's something dark and mysterious about that old relic."

Sakura was about to ask Kero to elaborate, but she remembered what he just told her. Kero had never learned about ancient Egyptian magic. Clow Reed only had knowledge of Eastern magic. And that meant Kero was just as much in the dark about that item as everybody else.

But if Kero was worried about it, then Sakura couldn't help but at least think about it.

* * *

**ONE WEEK LATER**

"Ha! And that takes your Life Points down to zero! Man, you're really bad at this."

Yugi sat by as Joey celebrated his latest victory. In fact, Joey was overdoing it. He was celebrating as much as an American football player did after scoring a touchdown. Yugi sweatdropped upon seeing his friend's excessive display. After all, it wasn't like Joey had defeated a top duelist. He had defeated an amateur.

And they didn't come more amateurish than Tristan Taylor.

"You know, it's not like I've been playing for very long," Tristan pointed out.

Joey stopped his victory dance in mid-pose. "Don't try and take away from my victory, Tristan. Just because I'm a world-class duelist…"

"World-class duelist?! You were just losing to Téa a few months ago!"

"Oh sure, bring THAT up."

Yugi sighed as the two best friends had erupted into another argument. They were the very definition of bickering siblings…even though they weren't related.

Yugi decided to bring his focus somewhere else. "Hey, Téa. What are you looking at?"

"Just today's paper. So many terrible things going on in our world."

As Yugi tried to look over Téa's shoulder, someone else joined them. It was Bakura Ryou.

"Hey guys. Uh…I guess I caught Joey and Tristan at a bad time?"

The argument between Joey and Tristan was degenerating into a wrestling match. Yugi sighed deeply.

So did Téa. "And this is one of their BETTER days." She looked back at the newspaper and gasped. "YUGI! Look at this!"

Téa pulled Yugi over and practically pushed his face right into the newspaper. He didn't know what she was looking at right away, but then he saw it plain as day. It was staring him right in the face. It was a large black-and-white photo of Maximillion Pegasus's Millennium Eye.

Yugi recalled what happened shortly after he had defeated Pegasus. He was confronted by a mysterious man known as Shadi, who had probed his mind with another Millennium Item, the Millennium Key. Shadi came because the Millennium Eye had been stolen from Pegasus. After questioning Yugi and Yami, the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, Shadi left, but not without letting them know just how imperative it was to restore the Millennium Eye to its rightful owner…and just how dire the consequences would be if someone gathered all seven Millennium Items.

But the Millennium Item that had recently gone missing was suddenly found…and it was staring Yugi right in the face.

"It's the Millennium Eye!" Yugi said slowly.

But how the Millennium Eye turned up out of the blue was a total mystery.

  


Next Time: Yugi and his friends take a closer look at the article and read more about the sudden discovery of the Millennium Eye. That's when we see a few flashbacks…and Yugi makes a big decision.

  


Author's Note: For those curious, read "Curse of the Pyramid", a story whose events will affect this story. In fact, later on in the story, we'll take a look at some scenes that were never seen in "Curse of the Pyramid".

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	2. Precious Memories

Last Time: We took a look at the post-Duelist Kingdom flight home and watched as Yami Bakura lost the Millennium Eye. While the evil soulstealer thought it was lost forever, the Millennium Eye was recovered months later by an archaeological team…led by Aiden Avalon. Later on, back at Domino City, Yugi's having a normal day at school…until he sees the Millennium Eye in the newspaper.

  


Key:

_/ **…** /_ - Yugi Moto

_// **…** //_ - Yami Yugi

  


**Searching For The Past: Part 2**

  


Yugi couldn't take his eyes off the picture staring him right in the face. In the local paper was a picture of the Millennium Eye. The Millennium Eye that had been stolen from Pegasus had been recovered, seemingly out of obscurity.

Téa started reading the article. "This mysterious artifact was recovered in the sands of the Egyptian deserts, close to the pyramids. The relic appears untarnished and in very good condition, but archaeologists have yet to discover what the relic is. The head of the expedition, Professor Aiden Avalon, who has studied ancient Egyptology throughout his entire career, will begin studying the artifact immediately upon returning to Reedington."

Tristan, who was now rolling on the floor wrestling Joey, stopped in his tracks. "Huh? Reedington? OOF!"

"Gotcha!" Joey grinned. He had nailed Tristan with a surprise shot in the stomach.

Tristan clutched his stomach and walked over towards the newspaper. "Hey…that name sounds familiar. I think I've heard of an Aiden Avalon before. But I can tell you I definitely know about Reedington!"

"You do?" Bakura asked curiously.

"Yeah! I've got family there. My rich cousin, Madison, lives there."

"You have a cousin?" Yugi asked.

"You have a cousin in Reedington and you never told us?" Téa added.

Joey sat up. "You have a RICH cousin in Reedington and you never told us?!"

"Well…I'm not exactly on the top of her Christmas list," Tristan pointed out. He thought about it and started chuckling. "Man, but I had some good times with her. Brings back memories of my childhood. I remember it all like it was yesterday…"

* * *

**Flashback: Five Years Ago**

The sun was beating down in Reedington and it was a good day for a pool party. Many people thought the same thing, because the Taylors' Olympic-sized swimming pool was just about filled to capacity with kids from all over town.

Five-year-old Madison Taylor hadn't gotten in yet and she didn't look like she was in any hurry to get in. She timidly stepped towards the edge of the pool. She nervously dipped her big toe in and shivered.

"Come on in, Madison!" an eager young girl shouted. "Come play with me!"

Madison took a step back. "It's too cold, Sakura! And I can't swim really good."

This was too good an opportunity for a certain someone to pass up. Nine-year-old Tristan Taylor walked up behind his cousin and picked her up. Madison never expected it and started screaming.

"Put me down! Put me down! PUT ME DOWN!!"

"Ok, I'll put you down," Tristan grinned.

He carried Madison over towards the deep end of the pool and tossed her in. She fell in with a big splash and started flailing about frantically.

"Help! I can't swim!"

Tristan sighed as he passed a life preserver to his drowning cousin. "Man, you're such a baby sometimes."

Madison grabbed hold of the life preserver. She coughed wildly and caught her breath. She looked at her cousin angrily with her long raven-colored hair flopped over her eyes.

"YOU'RE A NO-GOOD PUNK, TRISTAN TAYLOR!!!"

* * *

Tristan chuckled. "Those were good times, alright."

Téa sweatdropped. "Boy, weren't YOU just the sweetest cousin?"

"Wasn't I, though?" Tristan grinned. "Man, and that wasn't even the most fun I had with her. I still remember what happened when Christmas came around that year…"

* * *

**Flashback: Christmas, Five Years Ago**

Snow was coming down on a glorious December morning. Christmas carols could be heard coming from all over Reedington. It was the most wonderful time of the year. Five-year-old Madison Taylor was in a joyful state as she stepped through the snowy grounds of Penguin Park. She made sure to tread carefully, as the snow went all the way up to her knees.

"Come on, Madison!" her best friend, Sakura, shouted from the distance. "Catch me!"

Madison tried to catch up to her best friend, who was already on the frozen pond on her ice skates. Sakura was a natural athlete and she was showing it once again as she skillfully skated like she was gliding on air. Madison put her ice skates on and stepped onto the frozen pond. She inched forward slowly and struggled to keep her balance. But it didn't take her long to fall on her rear.

"Madison!"

Madison looked ahead to see her cousin, Tristan, waiting for her on the other side of the pond. He was calmly standing there like he was waiting for something.

"Come on over here, Madison. I'll help you keep your balance."

At such a young age, Madison didn't see what harm could possibly come from moving towards her cousin. She slowly skated forward, trying not to fall, and almost made it to Tristan. But just as she reached him…

…the ice underneath her cracked.

Madison fell into the icy cold water and splashed frantically. "AAH!!! HELP!!!"

Tristan reached over and pulled her out. Madison shivered furiously. She almost lost all her senses. She couldn't feel or sense anything else other than the extreme cold. But she suddenly managed to notice Tristan had fallen over, laughing.

"I can't believe you fell for that!" Tristan laughed. "You should have seen your face."

Although Madison was nearly frozen, her face still managed to turn beet red.

"YOU'RE A NO-GOOD PUNK, TRISTAN TAYLOR!!!"

* * *

"THAT'S how you treat your family?!" a wide-eyed Téa asked.

"That's how I treat my loved ones," Tristan said matter-of-factly.

"It would explain the way he treats Joey," Bakura noted.

"Tristan wouldn't try a stunt like that with me," Joey pointed out. "If ever did, he knows I'd get him in the crotch with a snowball."

"That happened once, Joey!" Tristan growled. "I still haven't forgiven you for that!"

While Tristan and the others were talking about the past, Yugi's head was elsewhere. His thoughts were still on the Millennium Eye. He couldn't believe it had been recovered. Suddenly, Yugi began to hear a voice inside his head.

_// Yugi? What is that I heard about an expert who studied ancient Egyptology? //_

/ Oh. Well, that's the man who apparently found the Millennium Eye. I know what you must be thinking. We should… /

// Aibou? Do you think…this expert on ancient Egyptology…can help me? //

/ Help you? Yami, what do you mean? /

// Do you think he can help me find out about my past? //

It was a question Yugi wasn't expecting to hear. He thought his other half would be more concerned with the sudden reemergence of the Millennium Eye. But it made sense. Since Yugi first became aware of the spirit within his Millennium Puzzle, Yami had been struggling to recover the memories of his past. Yami didn't know who he was and where he came from. The only idea vague clue that he had was that it had something to do with ancient Egypt.

Thus it made sense that Yami would get excited over hearing about an archaeologist of ancient Egyptology. Yugi felt it would be best to reassure his other half.

_/ I'm sure he can help. You know something, Yami? That makes the decision I've made that much easier. /_

// Yugi, I thought we'd make decisions together. We're one and the same, remember? //

/ Oh…good point. Well, just listen to what I tell the others. /

"Yugi!" Téa snapped. Her voice brought Yugi back to reality. "What's on your mind?"

Yugi finally spoke up. "I have to go to Reedington."

Joey was taken aback. "Huh? Go to Reedington?"

"I have no choice," Yugi explained. "The Millennium Eye has to be recovered. And…I'm doing it for Yami. There are…some things he wants to know. Maybe this Aiden Avalon can help him recover his lost memories."

"Oh, so it's a two-part mission," Joey thought. "Well, don't think I'm letting you go by yourself, bud. I'm coming with you."

"I'm in the mood to get out of this town for a while," Téa piped up. "I'll go too!"

"And just where are you guys planning to stay?" Tristan pointed out. "You guys don't have family over there. I'll come along and we can stay with my cousin."

"You really think Madison would let us stay with her?" Joey asked.

"Even after the way YOU'VE treated her?" Téa added.

"What?" Tristan asked innocently. "Madison LOVES me! She'll be more than happy to let us stay with her. And she'll be so happy to see her favorite cousin again."

Yugi smiled. "That's great, Tristan! Then it's settled. We leave this weekend and catch the first bus to Reedington." Then he noticed the fifth member of their party. "You coming, Bakura?"

Bakura hesitated. "A sudden trip to Reedington…?"

"Come on, Bakura, what's there to think about?" Joey said encouragingly. "It's been months since we've left Domino City. Let's see some new sights!"

"Well, since you put it that way, I believe I will go."

Yugi rejoiced. "Great! Then we're all set! We leave this weekend."

_// I like your idea, Yugi. You take after me quite a bit. //_

/ Believe me, Yami. I will do EVERYTHING in my power to find the answers you seek in Reedington. /

Yugi couldn't wait to get out to Reedington. He would go for the Millennium Eye…but he would stay to help his Yami.

* * *

Bakura stood by as the others got excited about heading to Reedington. That's when the Millennium Ring underneath his shirt began to activate. The soulstealer within him was coming out again. And having heard what Yugi has in mind, he couldn't help but chuckle malevolently to himself.

_~// At last! The Millennium Eye has been found! I will accompany these fools to this 'Reedington' and recover what belongs to me! And while I'm there, I may as well collect my THIRD Millennium Item! I shall take Yugi's Millennium Puzzle as my own! //~_

The soulstealer couldn't wait. And as long as he managed to fool the rubes into thinking he was really their friend, Bakura, it would all be so easy.

* * *

With her father and Tori out of the house, Sakura was now in her father's room, looking at the eyeball that her father found. It was certainly a weird item and was certainly odd for an ancient Egyptian object. Then again, a lot of things about ancient Egypt came off as strange to Sakura.

Ditto for Kero, who hadn't taken his eye off the eyeball. He was staring at it intensely, deeply concentrating.

"What are you thinking about, Kero?"

Kero didn't answer right away. "There's something about that eye that looks…familiar. I feel like I've seen it before. But I can't think of where."

Sakura was about to bring up the time they were stuck in that pyramid. It had to be the only place Kero could have seen it unless he had been snooping around Sakura's history books. But before she said anything, the phone rang.

"Hello? **…** Oh, hi Li! **…** Yeah, I can be there in a little while. **…** You're so sweet! **…** I can't wait to see you again! I'll be right over!"

Sakura hung up the phone and picked up Kero.

"Hey, I wasn't done eyeballing the eyeball!"

"Stare at that thing later, Kero. We're going over to see Li."

Kero grumbled. "You know, the brat's been having you over a lot since he moved into Madison's guesthouse. Don't you get sick of seeing him?"

"Of course not! He's my boyfriend!"

"Oh, right. Then it's me. I'M sick of seeing him!"

Sakura didn't let Kero's complaints get to her. She stuffed him in her pocket as she wrote a note for her dad and brother. As soon as she was done with that, she was out the door.

She couldn't wait to see him and Madison again.

  


Next Time: Yugi and his friends reach Madison's estate, but is Madison happy to see her cousin again? And will Yugi reach Aiden Avalon?

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	3. Reuniting the Taylor Cousins

Last Time: After hearing about the discovery of the Millennium Eye by an archaeologist from Reedington, Yugi knew he had to go and get it. His other half, Yami, also believes he can find a piece of his past there. Yugi's friends decide to come along and Tristan even goes as far as to offer his cousin's estate. Meanwhile, Kero can't take his eye off the Millennium Eye…and he keeps his eye on it while Sakura takes it with her to see Li and Madison.

  


**Searching For The Past: Part 3**

  


Yugi couldn't get the Millennium Eye off his mind. During the bus trip to Reedington, he thought about everything that was going on and decided to talk to the only person he could about all of it. While Joey, Téa, Tristan, and Bakura were calmly looking out the window, Yugi closed his eyes to talk to his Yami.

_/ Yami, how do you think the Millennium Eye ended up in Egypt in the first place? /_

// I don't know what to tell you, Yugi. Nobody saw where the Millennium Eye was taken after it was stolen from Pegasus. There are a number of ways it could have ended up in Egypt. The thief may have been careless and lost it. Just be thankful it's been found. //

/ I wonder if they'll let us have it back. I mean…our story isn't exactly believable to the average person. /

// I'm sure the archaeologist will believe our story. But my concerns lie elsewhere. If this man really has made a career of studying ancient Egypt…then I wonder if he knows anything about my past. Maybe he can help me remember who I am. //

/ You think he'd recognize the Millennium Puzzle? /

// At the very least, he'll find it fascinating. I have a lot of questions for this man. How soon can we see him? //

/ I guess the first thing we have to do is find a place to stay. We'll probably check in with Tristan's cousin. I just hope he hasn't burned a bridge with her. /

As if on cue, Yugi started listening in on a conversation between Joey and Tristan, who just happened to be discussing the cousin in question.

"You think Madison's really willing to let you stay with her?" Joey asked again.

"Why wouldn't she?" Tristan replied. "She loves me. And she's got enough rooms to house a small army. She'd be more than happy to help her favorite cousin."

"You let her fall into freezing cold water!" Téa cut in. "She almost got pneumonia at age five because of you!"

"Oh sure, bring THAT up. Eh, I'm sure she's forgotten about that by now."

Yugi just watched that whole exchange in amazement. Yami also had a good view of it since he shared Yugi's body.

_// Do all modern-day cousins treat each other that way? //_

/ I sure hope not. /

The bus suddenly started to come to a halt. They had arrived at their destination. Yugi looked out the window to see the Reedington bus station.

* * *

Sakura was very happy to see her boyfriend Li Showron again over at Madison's guesthouse, but there was seemingly a different atmosphere on this day. Just like Kero, Li was also fascinated by the golden eyeball that Sakura's father had dug up in Egypt. Li and Kero didn't share much in common. In fact, they really didn't like each other at all. But today, they found a common interest. They were both staring at the artifact.

"What did your dad say it was, Sakura?" Madison asked.

"The eyeball gave him a headache," Sakura answered. "So he's letting me hold it for him while he gets started on writing a press release. He has no idea where it came from and he's telling me he might be studying it for months."

"I'm surprised he's trusting you with it," Li pointed out.

Sakura frowned. "What's that supposed to mean? My dad trusts me and he knows I won't lose it. If he can't trust his little girl, who can he trust?"

Li turned his focus on the eye again. "I've never seen anything like this before. Why would ancient Egyptians make…an eyeball?"

Kero was also staring at the eye. "I still can't shake that notion that I've seen this thing somewhere before."

"How could you recognize it?" Li asked. "Clow Reed didn't base his magic on ancient Egyptians. The Clow Cards were based on ancient Eastern magic."

Kero started floating in the air. Sakura then noticed the Star Cards in her pocket begin to float out and start to revolve around Kero. It was a trick he liked to do once in a while.

"I may not know Egyptian magic, but I know what I've seen. And I feel like I've seen this before."

"The only exposure you've had to anything Egyptian is that pyramid you got stuck in a while back," Li pointed out.

Kero stared the eyeball down while the Star Cards floated back into Sakura's pocket. "The pyramid…"

Suddenly, Madison's phone began to ring.

Madison cleared her throat. "Excuse me. Hello? **…** Somebody at the gate? **…** Who is it? **…** What?! **…** No, don't kick him out. I want to see him."

Madison hung up the phone and grabbed her coat. Sakura felt more than curious.

"Madison? What it is?"

"You'll never guess who just turned up at the front gate!"

* * *

Yugi waited patiently outside the gate with his friends while Tristan paced around. After all this delay, Yugi began to think that maybe Tristan really had burned a bridge.

Something else had Yugi's attention, though. He had never seen such a large mansion in his life. The entire estate looked like it could have its own zip code. The gardens reached out as far as the eye could see. The grass was green as a cucumber and beautiful flowers grew all over. Fountains flowed brilliantly in vertical sprays. And the house itself looked as big as the Kaibacorp building.

Yugi was so distracted, but he was brought back to Earth when he saw the estate's resident coming out. It was a young girl with long, dark hair that reached down to the small of her back. She was wearing a blue dress and an enchantingly bright smile. Behind her was an auburn-haired young lady the same age with a black sweatshirt, red skirt, and black stockings.

"Madison! It's been a long time!" Tristan grinned. "I haven't seen you in years!"

Madison sighed. "Hello, Tristan."

Tristan looked over to Madison's friend. "And is this Sakura? Wow! You've grown up."

Sakura sighed. "I almost didn't recognize you, Tristan. How've you been? How's life in Domino City?"

"Life in Domino City? It's going alright. Making a few friends here and there…HEY!"

Joey suddenly shoved Tristan out of the way. "And I'm one of them! Name's Joey. Joey Wheeler! And Tristan's told me a lot about you ladies…HEY!"

Tristan took back his position. "Out of the way, Joey! Sorry about that, girls. It's great seeing you again, Madison."

"What brings you here, Tristan?" Madison asked.

"Well…we just happened to be in the neighborhood…and I was wondering…is my aunt here?"

"Mom isn't here, Tristan. She had to leave on a business trip. I'm watching the estate while she's away."

"Wow…you're a big girl now, aren't you?" Tristan grinned. "So then…that would mean you're in charge. So you wouldn't mind giving your cousin a place to stay, would you?"

Madison giggled as she pulled the gate open. Tristan was looking awfully satisfied with himself. He was about to walk through the gate, until…

"Tristan…why wouldn't I want to let you stay with me? Just because you always tormented me when I was little?! Just because you turned every moment I saw you into a nightmare?!"

Madison slammed the metal gate onto Tristan's face. He fell on his back. Téa and Bakura flinched while Joey just groaned, feeling sympathy pains.

"Should I take that as a no?" Tristan moaned.

Madison's smile faded and her face turned red. "YOU'RE A NO-GOOD PUNK, TRISTAN TAYLOR!! Let's go, Sakura!"

Madison turned around and stormed out. Sakura stood frozen for a moment before following her friend. Yugi helped bring Tristan to his feet.

"Are you ok?" Yugi asked.

"That…didn't go as well as I hoped," Tristan replied dizzily.

"Man, who'd have thunk that she'd still be mad after five years?" Joey mused.

Téa sighed deeply. "Boys…"

"Anymore ideas?" Bakura asked. "Now where do we stay?"

"I don't think we should give up on this yet," Téa suggested. "Madison looks like a nice girl. Maybe she just needs to talk to someone other than Tristan and Joey."

"Hey, I made a good impression," Joey whined. "Give me another five minutes with her."

"No, we need someone who WON'T get the door slammed in his face. We need someone so nice and innocent that she won't even think about kicking him out."

Joey didn't take the hint. "Like I said. Give me five minutes."

Téa groaned. "Not YOU! I'm talking about Yugi. No one can ever say 'no' to him."

That got Yugi's attention. "Uh…me?"

"Sure! If Madison's the kind of person I think she is, all she needs is to hear you pleading on our behalf. Of course, we do need you to get one foot in the door first."

Yugi gulped. "Uh…I don't know about this…"

"One foot in the door," Tristan interrupted. "No problem. Give me a hand, Joey."

"Guys? HEY!"

Yugi didn't have any time to protest when Joey and Tristan both pulled him up. They carried him over to the wall and hoisted the little one over the wall. Yugi fell on the other side with a thud. He picked himself up and shook off the cobwebs.

"I saw them go that way, Yuge!" Joey pointed. "If you hurry, maybe you can catch them!"

Yugi was already inside the estate and it appeared very doubtful that Joey and Tristan would just let him walk out. So he just walked away…hoping he wouldn't get caught.

* * *

Sakura watched as Madison slammed the door behind her. She hadn't seen her best friend, usually good-natured and cheerful, this angry in a while.

"How dare he just show his face out of nowhere like that! And he had the gall to ask me for a place to stay?! After everything he pulled on me?!"

Kero flew over on Madison's shoulder, finally taking a break from watching the eyeball. "I'm guessing he's not your favorite cousin?"

"You got that right!" Madison growled. "He was so mean to me! Sakura, remember Halloween when we were five?"

Sakura sweatdropped. "HOE! How can I forget?"

"What happened on Halloween when you were five?" Li asked curiously.

Madison crossed her arms and scoffed. "I'll tell you what happened…"

* * *

**Flashback: Halloween, Five Years Ago**

Five-year-old Madison Taylor had hit the jackpot. Dressed as a ballerina that year, she came back from trick-or-treating with a sack full of candy. So did Sakura, who was dressed as a fairy. Both girls wanted a private place to count their bounty, so they ran to Sakura's backyard, behind the tree.

"How much did you get, Madison?" Sakura asked excitedly.

"I got lollipops and candy necklaces all over," Madison squealed. "But I still think we'll get more next year. Just give me a chance to make your costume, Sakura."

"Madison, you're only five. You really think you can make a good costume for me?"

"I know I'm five, but I'm really good. And I can make you look so cute!"

Suddenly, both girls went silent as a rustling was heard in the bushes. Both girls slowly turned their heads towards the bushes and saw something bright lurking inside.

"W-W-What is that?" Sakura quivered.

Something began to emerge from the snow. Neither girl could tell what it was, because white fog began to surround it. It began wailing and howling. When the fog began clearing, Madison and Sakura saw a large white creature, about eight feet tall, waving its arms around.

Having been afraid of ghosts all of her life, Sakura immediately freaked out. "AAAAAAHHHH!!! GHOST!!!"

Both girls held each other for dear life. As the ghost slowly stalked them, they both looked up at the sky and screamed their lungs out, but both were too terrified to even move. But just as the ghost inched within arms reach, it stopped.

"Gotcha!"

Madison and Sakura both stopped screaming. The creature had removed what turned out to be a white sheet. It was Madison's cousin, Tristan, along with Sakura's brother, Tori. Tristan was perched on top of Tori's shoulders. Tristan was holding a pair of flashlights while Tori held a fire extinguisher.

Tristan chuckled. "You two are so gullible."

Madison was in shock. She turned her head to see Sakura so terrified that she was in tears. Madison wanted to shed some tears of her own. But she could only bring herself to say one thing.

"YOU'RE A NO-GOOD PUNK, TRISTAN TAYLOR!!"

* * *

Li could only bring himself to look at Sakura. "Have you ALWAYS been afraid of ghosts?!"

Sakura sighed. "You know the answer to that, Li."

"Hello-o-o-o!" Madison called out. "This isn't an issue of Sakura being scared of ghosts. We're talking about why I'm not letting Tristan anywhere near my home! If he wants a place to stay, he can go to a hotel!"

Again, Kero took his eye off the golden eyeball and flew over to Madison's shoulder. Knowing she had to head home soon, Sakura grabbed the eyeball and put it safely in a black bag.

"Aren't you being a little hard on the guy?" Kero asked. "Where else can he go?"

"Anywhere but here!" Madison huffed.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door of Madison's guesthouse. For the second time that day, Madison's face turned red. She knew who it had to be. Fully expecting it to be her no-good punk of a cousin, Madison stormed over to answer the door, prepared to call security at a moment's notice.

When she opened the door, she didn't get Tristan. Instead, she got a young boy about her height. He had a blue coat and pants and had a bizarre hairstyle. His hair was red with golden highlights. And he had a pyramid replica hanging over his neck.

"H-Hello," the boy said timidly.

"What are you doing here?" Madison demanded. "Who let you through the gate?"

"Oh…I'm really sorry about that. My friends hoisted me over the wall before I could say anything. One of them is your cousin…"

"I know! And just who are you?!"

"Me? Oh, my name's Yugi. Please, Madison. We're in a bind and we need help. We really need a place to stay while we're in Reedington. I meant to come here by myself, but all my friends insisted on coming to Reedington with me and that's when Tristan told us all about you.

"Look…I know you must not be very happy with Tristan after some of the things he's done over your childhood, but he's asking me to deliver you a message. Ahem…Tristan told me to tell you that you've always been his favorite cousin. And if you were to never forgive him for what he's done, he'll understand. But he's pleading with you not to take out your anger on the rest of us, because we really need a place to stay. Tristan said he's willing to find a place for himself, but he's asking that you please take the rest of us in."

Madison's first instinct upon seeing this stranger was to slam the door in his face. But as he went on, she found it much harder to do that. In fact, her gentle nature was starting to come back.

"What do you think, Sakura?" Madison asked.

"He looks like a nice enough guy," Sakura replied. "I think you should let him stay here. I don't think he means any harm."

Madison thought about it and agreed. "Ok, tell Tristan you can all stay here. In fact, we were about to have dinner in a little while and I'd be happy to meet all of you. But don't expect me to say a word to him while he's here."

Yugi smiled. "Thank you so much, Madison! Why don't you come with me to open the gate? My friends are really looking forward to meeting you."

Madison nodded. "There's no harm in that." She turned around. "You guys coming?"

Li stood up. "I don't see why not."

Sakura began to follow behind Li. Madison thought about what she was doing. She couldn't believe she was letting her cousin, who had shown up completely unannounced, stay with her. And she was also letting his friends stay here. She didn't know what she was thinking.

But she was Madison Taylor. She was hardly ever hostile…even if it WAS her no-good punk of a cousin.

* * *

Kero was in a state of shock. The golden eyeball that Sakura's father had discovered had brought back enough of a sense of déjà vu, but his mind wasn't as much on the eyeball anymore. His mind had gone elsewhere. Now his mind was on something else that looked familiar to him.

He was thinking about the replica that was hanging over that kid's neck.

Kero couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen these things before. But he couldn't put his finger exactly on where.

  


Next Time: Yugi and his friends have lucked out and now have a place to stay. Now that he's found a place to stay, Yugi gets to the reason he came and will soon get to see the man who found the Millennium Eye. Will Yami Yugi come out to ask about his past? Meanwhile, back in Domino City, someone else has gotten hold of the newspaper's report of the Millennium Eye's discovery. Is Seto Kaiba also on his way to Reedington?

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


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